Last Updated on 3 months ago by Charbel Coorey
The addition of several stars from Pakistan has enhanced the popularity of the Big Bash League (BBL).
Babar Azam’s Sydney Sixers beat Mohammad Rizwan’s Melbourne Renegades by six wickets on New Years’ Day in Melbourne, with the 31-year-old scoring an unbeaten 58 from 46 deliveries. For the Renegades, Hassan Khan turned out to be one of the few positives as he scored a 29-ball 39 to help the the hosts post a decent total.
Despite being new to the BBL, Hassan is a regular face in other T20 leagues such as the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Major League Cricket (MLC). He also represented Pakistan in the U19 World Cup in 2016 before becoming an American cricketer.
During an exclusive interview with Arvind Kalyana Krishnan for CricBlog following the match, Hassan Khan drew light on the fans in Australia as well as the Pakistani fans down under. The USA cricketer also spoke about his experience while playing alongside Mohammad Rizwan in the BBL.
When asked about his favourite players, the all-rounder stated that he loves watching AB de Villiers bat. Hassan also said that he loves the bowling of players like Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Nawaz, before expressing his excitement over the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026.
Hassan Khan interview: I watch Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Nawaz closely
Below is the video (Hindi/Urdu) and text (English) of the conversation between Hassan Khan and Arvind Kalyana Krishnan:
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: You’re currently playing at Melbourne Renegades alongside Mohammad Rizwan. So how has your experience been with him for now?
Hassan Khan: It’s a very nice experience. Although I’ve played with Rizwan bhai in Pakistan, I’ve mostly played against him. Over here I’m playing with him, and I’m getting to learn a lot because, you know, Rizwan bhai is a big name in Pakistan cricket and even in international cricket. So, I’m trying to learn as much as I can from his experience, and I’m spending good time with him and I’m enjoying it.
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: If we talk about Australia, then there are a lot of Pakistani fans, Indian fans, and Sri Lankan fans, so how has your experience been while playing in Australia?
Hassan Khan: Yes, of course, it’s a very good experience, and if we talk about this match (Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers game) then there was a lot of Pakistani crowd, it was almost houseful, so yeah, I enjoyed playing today. It felt like I’m playing in Pakistan only with the amount of Pakistani crowd that came. Obviously, when there’s crowd it feels good and it’s always fun as they support us and we try to entertain them as much as possible.
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: Who are your favourite cricketers from this generation? Do you have any?
Hassan Khan: Yes, of course! I love watching AB de Villiers bat. Other than that, I love Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling and Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz’s bowling. So I try to look at them and see the way they play…. Like how they bat and bowl in different situations, I try to learn from them.
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: The T20 World Cup is on it’s way. So how do you perceive it for now? I mean what are your expectations from it? Which player will play well? Any team in particular? Do Pakistan have an opportunity to play well?
Hassan Khan: Yes, of course, T20 is a format where you can’t predict anything like who’ll play well and who won’t. I mean, you know all teams in international cricket are good. So whichever team performs well on that day wins. So I hope we have a good tournament and a good World Cup and the people who are watching enjoy watching it!
